Chapter Forty
chapter FORTY
B y the time Friday night rolled around, Beau was looking forward to a couple of hours out of the house. It had actually been Ethan’s idea, much to Beau’s surprise. And when he told him they were going to Moonshiners to meet up with his brothers, Beau hadn’t questioned him. He didn’t care where they went. He just wanted a beer.
With that prospect in sight, Beau pulled into the parking lot of Moonshiners with Ethan right there beside him. The night had been flawless, dinner phenomenal as always. They had even shared a shower before they got dressed and headed out. And now, as Beau pulled the truck to a stop, he glanced around the parking lot, hoping like hell there wouldn’t be anything to fuck up their night out together.
Making his way around the front of the truck, Beau met up with Ethan on the porch, and his body hardened the instant Ethan put his hand on his back, herding him toward the door. He suddenly felt too big for his own skin, elated from the fact that Ethan was touching him in public.
Beau opened the door to Moonshiners, and he walked inside, Ethan right behind him. Noticing Travis, Zane, and Gage immediately, Beau considered heading to the back where they were, but Ethan once again directed him, this time toward the bar.
“Two beers, Mack,” Ethan ordered as the bartender glanced up with a tentative grin.
Beau did his best to hide his surprise. He wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting for their first night out as a real couple, but this certainly hadn’t been it.
“Sure thing, E.”
A minute later, they were in the back with Ethan’s brothers and his brother-in-law. The men were talking—although arguing was probably a more apt description—about the resort.
“Just wait till Sawyer gets here,” Zane protested. “He’ll agree with me.”
“Not likely. If they have to choose, they won’t pick your club,” Gage laughed, his beer bottle halfway to his lips, an amused smirk on his face.
Beau didn’t even try to follow the conversation because he knew it would change soon enough. As he stood listening to the rough grumble of the three large males, he glanced around the bar. The first thing he noticed was that Kylie and V weren’t there. He didn’t even have time to wonder about that before his gaze landed on a group of guys sitting at a table near the front.
Jimmy Reardon must’ve brought a fucking army tonight. There were seven guys with him, and not one of them was Ricky Dillinger. That was about the only positive in the situation. Doing the math in his head, Beau figured between the five of them, they stood a pretty damn good chance. Even against eight.
Ethan must’ve noticed what had captured Beau’s attention because he moved up beside him, his arm brushing against his. “We’re not gonna let them get to us tonight.”
Beau noticed the way Ethan stressed the word “not.” When Beau glanced over to his lover, he noticed his expression was deadly serious.
“He’s done enough damage.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
Didn’t mean Beau wasn’t interested in a little payback. Rather than tell Ethan that, he simply nodded.
The bastard had sent Ethan’s world into a tailspin for almost a decade, and now it seemed as though he was back permanently. For months, they had all been going to Moonshiners on a weekly basis, and Beau didn’t recall Jimmy being a regular. And if he had been, Beau wondered how they hadn’t seen the jabs and animosity directed at Ethan. Probably because Ethan had kept himself isolated, but it was hard for him to believe that no one had known.
And to think that Ethan had dealt with that shit on his own for all this time only pissed Beau off more.
“What’s up, man?” Zane said, stepping directly in front of Beau, obstructing his view. Probably a good thing.
“Not much. Where’s V?” he asked, sipping his beer and doing his best to ignore the group in the front. Ethan was right, they were there to have a good time. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for Beau to get all bent out of shape.
“At Zoey’s,” Zane answered easily. “If I’m not careful, she’s gonna be asking for a baby of her own real soon.”
Beau laughed.
“I’m hoping she’ll hold off at least until we’re married,” Zane continued. “Speaking of married...” Zane glanced over at Ethan and then back to Beau.
That got Beau’s attention, and his gaze shot over to Ethan to see he was grinning from ear to ear.
“Congrats, man,” Zane said, clapping Beau on the back and then taking a step closer to Ethan. “You’re good for him,” Zane said to Ethan quietly, but loud enough that Beau could hear.
Beau wanted to laugh. That was the same thing Zane had said to him. But nevertheless, it was true. Ethan was the best damn thing that had ever happened to Beau.
Before Beau could question Zane’s reference to marriage, the front door opened, and Beau looked over to see Sawyer strutting in, his cowboy hat low on his head.
Okay, now Beau was really liking the odds.
Oh, fuck .
That’s when Beau realized that Sawyer wasn’t the only one who had graced the small bar with his presence. As soon as Sawyer made his way inside, a long line of intimidating men followed not far behind: Greyson, Jared, Jaxson, Brendon, Braydon, CJ, and last, but certainly not least, Curtis Walker.
As though the rest of the bar felt the earth shake the same way Beau did, everything went quiet. Including the conversation going on behind him between Travis and Gage.
“What’s going on?” he heard himself ask Ethan.
“Turns out you were right,” Ethan said calmly, the hint of a smile on his lips as he continued to stare back at Beau.
“Why’s that?”
“They’re just here to support me.”
Just like Beau had known they would be.
Curtis walked up and clapped Beau on the back as he moved around to his side. “Congratulations,” he offered with a crooked grin.
Before Beau could respond, Sawyer walked up and offered his hand. Transferring his beer to his other hand, Beau reached out and shook the proffered hand at the same time Sawyer said, “’Bout damn time.”
What the fuck was going on?
ETHAN FOUGHT THE urge to laugh when Beau’s eyes widened as he stared back at Sawyer.
So, for once, he’d managed to throw Beau for a loop. Looking back at the man he loved, he watched as his eyes widened to the size of saucers as the implications of what he’d actually done settled in.
“You told them?” Beau asked incredulously, his voice lowering to a whisper when Sawyer and Curtis stepped away.
Taking a sip of his beer, Ethan offered Beau a smile. “I did.”
Just last night , he thought. While Beau had been at the gym, Ethan had rounded up his brothers and asked them to meet him at their parents’ house. They did. And after fighting his nerves for almost an hour, Ethan had finally told them the reason he had called them all together.
Turned out, they all knew. Not that Ethan had expected any less, but they gave him a chance to tell them outright. Getting things out in the open had helped mend the relationships that he’d purposely avoided with them. And when the twins told him they wanted to celebrate, he hadn’t been able to refuse.
As the conversation around them resumed, his brothers and cousins coming up to congratulate them both, Ethan was doing his damnedest to take his own advice and ignore the men sitting at the front of the bar.
He hadn’t been all that thrilled with the idea of celebrating at Moonshiners when the twins had suggested it, for that reason alone. It wasn’t that he was hiding because, thanks to the long overdue conversation he’d had with his family during the week, Ethan had decided to stand up for what he believed in.
In truth, Beau—with a little push from Sawyer and Travis—had given him the courage, allowing him to make the decision to stand up for himself. And for Gavin.
The memory of Gavin had been buried beneath the hate and fear that Jimmy had instilled in Ethan’s heart, never receiving the proper attention it deserved. Not that Ethan had come to that realization easily. That little tidbit of information had been learned during his first counseling session earlier in the week.
He hadn’t told Beau about the now weekly one-on-one sessions with a professional, and because there had been so much going on during the week—including Beau’s confrontation with his parents—he’d decided to hold off.
“What’s going on, E?” Beau asked, confusion contorting his ruggedly handsome features.
Ethan knew this was the moment of truth.
“Remember when you were at the gym this week?”
Beau laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I was at the gym every day this week.”
“Right. Well, I’ve been busy.”
Beau’s expression turned serious.
“It’s good. I swear.”
“Congrats, man!” Brendon interrupted, coming up to slap Beau on the back as he stared between the two of them. Ethan forced a smile, hoping his brother would move on so he could continue his conversation. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to move along.
“You told them all ?” Beau repeated the same question, although this time he sounded even more disbelieving than before, if that was at all possible.
“On Tuesday I had my first counseling session,” Ethan admitted, noticing the way Beau’s face fell. They’d had a brief discussion about counseling over dinner the day before Ethan went, and Beau had offered to go with him when and if he ever decided to go that route. “Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty more in my future, and yes, I want you right there with me. I just needed to take the first step alone.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ethan cocked his head to the side, studying Beau. A lot had happened on Tuesday, including Beau’s falling-out with his parents. Although he knew he probably should’ve mentioned it before now, there had been enough to worry about.
He knew he would be explaining himself in depth later, so for now, Ethan continued, “And last night, I met with my brothers.”
Beau glanced away, and Ethan looked over to see his father talking to Travis, but his gaze was on the two of them. Curtis offered a brief, reassuring head nod, so Ethan continued, “It’s not going to be an easy road right away. I know that. But I’m not willing to do it alone anymore.”
Beau looked back at him, and Ethan smiled. “This is it for me. You are it for me.”
Beau actually grinned as he tipped his beer to his lips, his eyes locked with Ethan’s. He didn’t say anything right away, and Ethan held his breath, waiting, wondering.
“So this is a celebration?”
“Yeah,” Ethan said, looking around at his brothers, his cousins, and his father.
Beau leaned in closer. “Well, I’d say it’s time to start celebrating, then. But I don’t intend to finish it up here. Just wait until I get you home.”
Ethan laughed, and they moved into the throng of men now laughing and joking in the back. Zane was apparently trying to convince Sawyer to side with him about whatever they had been arguing about earlier, and everyone was watching in amusement.
This was what Ethan had been missing. What he thought he would never find. He had managed to bridge the canyon he had personally dug between himself and his family over the years, and he had finally managed to find true love.
He didn’t expect it to be an easy road, but he had decided he was going to be the one in charge of his destiny from here on out. It was high time he lived, not just existed.
Moving in closer, he laughed when Zane insisted the best place to have a large party was at his club, while Gage and Sawyer argued that the conference center would be a better bet.
When Travis clapped Ethan on the back, he felt as though he might actually be on the right path.
And yes, he would be the first to admit, it was certainly long overdue.